Collingwood Forever

COLLINGWOOD WIN BY 4 POINTS.

Collingwood and Carlton have furnished some of the great matches of the season, and another grand game was added to the list on Saturday when they met on the Fitzroy Cricket-ground, where there must have been 15 000 people to see them. The wind there was much more decidedly in favour of the side kicking to the railway goal.

Carlton had the favour at starting, and there was some rattling good football for about 10 minutes before Crowe, from a free-kick, scored a goal for Carlton. Thence on Carlton did most of the attacking, and played decidedly the quicker game, but could never get such a mastery as to give them many chances to score, and at the end of the quarter they had only 9 points to 1. That looked hardly sufficient, and Collingwood with the wind, were expected to score heavily. Carlton, however, astonished their best friends by playing a magnificent game, and for about three parts of the quarter all the advantage Collingwood could get from their best efforts and the aid of the wind as well was a single point. Then a sudden change took place.

Getting fairly within shooting distance, Incoll passed it out to Angus, who scored a goal, and immediately afterwards Incoll got a free-kick, and though about 50 yards out, scored their second goal. During the last few minutes Carlton were again much in evidence, and the grand football they had shown in this quarter filled their followers with hope and enthusiasm. At half-time each side had passed the goalline four times only.

Full of ardour, Carlton dashed in to attack at the opening of the third quarter, and Lathgow scored a goal for them. They kept up their pace and dash amazingly, and looked the winning side. It looked as if Collingwood would get ahead again when Rowell marked from Drohan, but he made an awful mull of his shot. Snell got Carlton’s third goal from a dribbling kick along the ground. At the last change, however, they were only leading by 7 points and Collingwood had the wind with them for the finish. They dished in desperately, determined to lose no time, but Carlton played so well in defence again that when E. Lockwood scored a goal for Collingwood they were still a point behind with only nine minutes to play.

Those last few minutes, were full of incident and excitement. Incoll quickly snapped a goal for Collingwood, putting them in the lead by five points. Both these goals, like the two in the second quarter, were got in a few minutes’ burst. Then Carlton made a grand effort to pull the match out of the fire, and only their shooting failed them. First Flynn had a chance, but kicked badly; then the opportunity came to Elliott, but he, too, failed. Sullivan got a chance far out, and on the angle, but was not equal to it. Then just on time he bad a second try closer in, but still on the angle. Upon this kick rested Carlton’s chance of winning the premiership, and the excitement was something to remember. It was a bad kick and the bell rang the next instant, leaving Collingwood by 4points the winners of a great game, in which the balance of merit was with Carlton.

The beat work for Collingwood was done in the ruck, where Incoll, Angas, and Condon wore all three playing finely. In their defence M’Haile, right back, and Monahan, on the half line, saved their side from many a serious menace, Monahan’s marking, as usual, being of the highest order, in a double sense. There was some fine work along the centre line, where Pannam and Drohan were put to their best by Bruce and O’Connor respectively.

Although the clubs had met four times this season, Bruce and Pannam had never before played against each other. The cleverness in this go was with the Collingwood man; the dash with Carlton. M’Cormack in the centre was one of the most useful men in black and white colours. Rowell was far less conspicuous than usual, but amongst the forwards Tulloch, Peers, and A. Leach were all up to the mark.

Carlton’s defence was distinctly the finest feature of their football. Hince and M’Namara right back were only beaten by Ross and Walton just in front of them, and both as sound as rocks. It was impossible to make a distinction between them. Ford in the centre and following was useful, though the best of their ruckwork was done, as is nearly always the case, by Grace, Snell, and Elliott. Grace reached quite the top of his form in this struggle, and in the best days of his Fitzroy association was never better, his high marking comparing favourably with Monahan’s on the other side. H. M’Shane played a vastly improved game – ran, marked and dodged with consummate ability, and, in brief, had few, if any, rivals on the side. Of the forwards, Lithgow, Opie, and Sullivan were conspicuous, but it was not a game in which the forwards on either side had much to say.

1903 ‘COLLINGWOOD WIN BY 4 POINTS.’, The Argus(Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), 7 September, p. 7, viewed 4 August, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10570719